Parmesan is a straw-coloured hard cheese with a natural yellow rind and rich, fruity flavour. It…

Method

Put the dried mushrooms into a large bowl and pour over 1 litre boiling water. Soak for 20 mins, then drain into a bowl, discarding the last few tbsp of liquid left in the bowl. Crumble the stock cube into the mushroom liquid, then squeeze the mushrooms gently to remove any liquid. Chop the mushrooms.

Heat the oil in a shallow saucepan or deep frying pan over a medium flame. Add the onions and garlic, then fry for about 5 mins until soft. Stir in the fresh and dried mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for 8 mins until the fresh mushrooms have softened.

Tip the rice into the pan and cook for 1 min. Pour over the wine and let it bubble to nothing so the alcohol evaporates. Keep the pan over a medium heat and pour in a quarter of the mushroom stock. Simmer the rice, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Add about the same amount of stock again and continue to simmer and stir - it should start to become creamy, plump and tender. By the time the final quarter of stock is added, the rice should be almost cooked.

Continue stirring until the rice is cooked. If the rice is still undercooked, add a splash of water. Take the pan off the heat, add the butter and scatter over half the cheese and the parsley. Cover and leave for a few mins so that the rice can take up any excess liquid as it cools a bit. Give the risotto a final stir, spoon into bowls and scatter with the remaining cheese and parsley.

Comments (91)

Does need quite a bit of seasoning and I always add a dollap on Mascarpone at the end for special occasions :~)Try making double then you can make the delicious Arancini balls the following day. Roll in Panko breadcrumbs to get lovely crispy balls

Gave this a go for my daughter, who prefers vegetarian cuisine. Used a 100gm medley of exotic mushrooms in the place of some of the chestnut mushrooms but followed the rest of the recipe as prescribed. Found I had to add water a couple of times in step 4 to get the rice fully cooked. The result was really good though. Lots of flavour.

Made this last night with a mix of dried wild mushrooms and porcini and it turned out great. Will be making again. Yes you have to attend to it while the rice cooks but what do you think the bottle of wine you just opened is for?

Nice, simple risotto recipe. You can't call it vegetarian if you include parmesan though.... if you know anything about how that cheese is made you'd know that.With the parmesan substituted with Violife Prosociano and the butter with non-dairy margarine it becomes vegan and very delicious too

This is really delicious. I needed to use more liquid to ensure the rice was cooked. I added thyme sprigs to the water when soaking the mushrooms and omitted the parsley as a consequence. A five star recipe all round, which I don't seem to be able to include!

Tried this recipe for the first time last week having never made a risotto before and I couldn't have been happier with the results! I used chicken stock instead of vegetable and served with a grilled chicken breast and garlic bread. The recipe is really easy although does require close attention and a lot of stirring to prevent it getting burnt on the bottom! So good I'm going to make it again this week!

I've made risotto many times but this is the first time I've tried this recipe. I mostly followed the recipe but added grilled strips of belly pork (chopped into chunks), swapped the vegetable stock for chicken stock, added a handful of frozen peas, a splash of double cream and salt and pepper to taste. I also only soaked the porcini mushrooms in 500ml water, as I prefer to top up with water (or milk), as I go along, to get the right amount of liquid. Served with steamed vegetables and warm garlic flatbread. Fed 4 adults. Have been asked to make it again!

This recipe makes for a really straightforward guide if you've never made risotto before. Try to be patient with the rice; it will soften eventually. And don't forget to add those deliciously earthy porcini mushrooms, which IMO make the dish.

Great recipe! Explained with easy to follow instructions; so easy even I couldn't get it wrong. I used to be quite nervous cooking risotto but this is now a firm family favourite. Have also added more wine and more cheese to suit but recipe is a good'n, thanks

Absolutely beautiful. I added dried thyme with the mushrooms instead of using fresh parsley, left out the wine and stirred through some chopped leftover sausages I had in the fridge. Hubby was really impressed so this is going to become a regular for us.

Delicious! I used smoked, dry-cured bacon lardons at the beginning to render some tasty fat to cook the onions and garlic in. Otherwise followed the recipe to the letter and it was delicious. Will definitely save this recipe to use again.

Very successful - if a tiny bit gritty but I didn't pay heed to the instruction to chuck away the last bit of porcini soaking liquid, which appears to be quite critical part of the process. I added half fat creme fraiche to mine at the end with the parmesan and this has turned what was quite a dark coloured risotto - looked a bit like rice cooked in gravy - into a lovely creamy risotto and also cut through some of the intensity of the mushroom flavour, so I think it's been a good move. Could also have used mascarpone or even double cream to achieve the same. Very tasty, dinner party quality :)

Made this last night using Carnaroli risotto rice and dried wild mushrooms that did include porcini, but not porcini alone. It definitely required more liquid as the rice was not cooked after adding all the stock. We added smoked bacon lardons when frying the onions and garlic to introduce some protein. Having had to buy almost all the ingredients just to make it, it was a pretty expensive dinner in the end (£13 from Tesco for the chestnut mushrooms, dried mushrooms, rice, parmesan cheese, 1 onion and butter, which does not include the white wine, garlic, olive oil, chicken stock cube, dried parsley (which we used instead of fresh) and salad we had on the side which we already had at home). We were not huge fans with the result overall, as it had a strange flavour when you bit into it in parts. Will be trying a different risotto recipe next time.

Pages

Questions (0)

Unsure about the cooking time or want to swap an ingredient? Ask us your questions and we’ll try and help you as soon as possible. Or if you want to offer a solution to another user’s question, feel free to get involved…

Be the first to ask a question about this recipe…

Tips (0)

Got your own twist on this recipe? Or do you have suggestions for possible swaps and additions? We’d love to hear your ideas.

Reader offer: £40 off delicious meals

Reader offer: £10 off + 2 free craft beers

Put the dried mushrooms into a large bowl and pour over 1 litre boiling water. Soak for 20 mins, then drain into a bowl, discarding the last few tbsp of liquid left in the bowl. Crumble the stock cube into the mushroom liquid, then squeeze the mushrooms gently to remove any liquid. Chop the mushrooms.

Step 2

Fry the fresh mushrooms

Heat the oil in a shallow saucepan or deep frying pan over a medium flame. Add the onions and garlic, then fry for about 5 mins until soft. Stir in the fresh and dried mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for 8 mins until the fresh mushrooms have softened.

Step 3

Simmer and stir

Tip the rice into the pan and cook for 1 min. Pour over the wine and let it bubble to nothing so the alcohol evaporates. Keep the pan over a medium heat and pour in a quarter of the mushroom stock. Simmer the rice, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Add about the same amount of stock again and continue to simmer and stir - it should start to become creamy, plump and tender. By the time the final quarter of stock is added, the rice should be almost cooked.

Step 4

Leave to rest

Continue stirring until the rice is cooked. If the rice is still undercooked, add a splash of water. Take the pan off the heat, add the butter and scatter over half the cheese and the parsley. Cover and leave for a few mins so that the rice can take up any excess liquid as it cools a bit. Give the risotto a final stir, spoon into bowls and scatter with the remaining cheese and parsley.

Skills & know how

As well as helping you decide what to cook we can also help you to cook it. From tips on cookery techniques to facts and information about health and nutrition, we’ve a wealth of foodie know how for you to explore.

About BBC Good Food

We’re all about good recipes, and about quality home cooking that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re looking for some healthy inspiration or learning how to cook a decadent dessert, we’ve trustworthy guidance for all your foodie needs.

Our recipes

All our recipes are tested thoroughly by us to make sure they’re suitable for your kitchen at home. We know many of you are concerned about healthy eating, so we send them to a qualified nutritionist for thorough analysis too.

Follow us

This website is made by BBC Worldwide.

BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). No money from the licence fee was used to create this page. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes.